News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-08-18

Keno is popular game simply be-
cause it is so rapid and so cheap. At
tea cents a chance almost any one can
play Keno is just the game for youth,
and the practical gambler despises
such small business; besides this, he
can see with half an eye that the
chances are usually heavy against the
player. Thus if in faro the bank has
six out of ten, in keno it has seven or
eight 1t may be readily seen that
keno holes will abound in q great city,
and in some 10 alities they may be
found side by side in great array.
Among the devotees of keno are often
found students from the country who
have come to attend lectures. They
are in some cases supported by the
self-denying economy of parents and
hold the object of their affection
squandering his money at the keno
table, how great would be the agony!
1t is we'll that so painful spectacle is
spared them. As for faro. the term is
al abbreviat;on of | Pharaoh, whose
face was formerly on one of the cards.
he leading player is called the "ru
ter" and this is suggested by POpe's
lines:
Wretch that I am how often h we 1 swsro
Whom Winuell Tailed 1 would pant 10 more
I know the bl t, yet to my ruin
And see the folly which can IT shun.
Speaking of the times of Pope, re-
Gently opened an old volume of the
GcnHtmG11'S Magag ne and read the
following description of the game a it
was once played a century and half
ago:
First, an operator who deals the
cards for the purpose of cheat ng; also
two crowpers (croupier) who watch the
cards and gather the money for tho
bank Then there are two "puffs," who
have money given them to play with
and thus decoy Others to try; also
bully. who is to fight any gentleman
who is peevish at los ng his moneY.
Then there is the watchmaa who walks
up and down and alarms the hous4 on
the approach of a constable"
Such is the bri statement OF gam
ing in London in the days of Pope.
Hogarth gi es a very powerful scene II
a gaming house, being a part OF the
"Rake's PROCESS" How many rakes
have been ruined since then is beyond
all calculation.
Cards are supposed to lie Of Asiatic
origin Chinese cards have three suits,
each of nine cards. 1t is supposed that
they were introduced into Europe by
Arabs and Saracens before the th.r
teenth century. The frst hist jric ref
erence is found in Augsburg, whose
records give the fact that in 1878 I ing
Rudolph amused himself with a game
at cards. The most emin mt C I'd man
facturer in France in the sixteenth CEN
fury was Nato, and soon aftcrward the
business was established in England II
IS said that the marks in the suits Of
cards were intended to represent four
classes in society representing
the clergy, spades (from spada, sword
the nobility, diamonds the citizens, and
clubs the serfs. There ought to lie one
more especially to represent the dupes.
The most famous of London gamblers
was Crockford, whose "hell" sometimes
witnessed the exchange of half million
sterling in one night. Byron says that
he was asked by an acquaintance where
he, the latter, would he found af er
death. The poet promptly replied il
silver hell. which was popular gaming
resort Of that day. Byron says he mar
rowly escaped challenge for his keen
retort. Hartford Post.